Welcome to UCW-CWA's website! We are the union for Tennessee higher education staff and faculty, graduate employees, and lecturers.
UCW-CWA’s mission is to advance and defend the interests of all Tennessee higher education staff and faculty, as well as promoting solidarity, democracy, and advancing social and economic justice in our workplace and in our communities.
To join UCW-CWA click on the Join Us! link to the left. If you have additional questions about UCW-CWA please call Lead Organizer Cameron Brooks (865) 387-4408 (877-CWA-3865) or Organizer Tom Smith (865) 454-0241.
We deplore the insistence by the state government and UT administration that the only solution to the current economic crisis is to cut jobs. A UCW press release will go out this afternoon in response to the news of the 500 layoffs planned for UT. We want you to know your union is not sitting idle while your jobs are at risk.
UCW’s 2009-2010 campaign, currently in development, includes plans to address the value higher education brings to the state, the importance of long-term planning for funding higher education, the need for workers to have a voice in any discussions about restructuring higher education in Tennessee, and the demand for due process for all higher education employees.
We all know higher education is the foundation for a better life, the foundation of the middle class, and a driving force in modern economies and we will make sure our legislators and administration know it as well. According to the University of Tennessee’s own figures, the Knoxville campus alone contributes nearly $1 Billion annually to the area economy, with 1.8 additional jobs for every person employed on campus, and $3.10 in income for every dollar in university salaries.
As the legislature moves to adopt a budget for fiscal year 2010 the budget situation in Tennessee continues to be dire. New proposals to eliminate state agency jobs are being debated at a time when the last thing Tennesseans need are more additions to the state’s unemployment roles. Stipulations in the federal stimulus fund greatly improve the particulars we face as higher education employees this fiscal year, but grim conditions remain on campuses all across the state.
Even though things are very bad right now there are some positive signs. Many economists are beginning to talk about economy recovery later this year. Some even point to signs of a turnaround already taking place. We have to understand that even when the state and national economy begin to pick back up the budget problems in Tennessee will remain. To address the root causes of our funding crisis the state must get real about solving its revenue problems.
According to news reports in today’s Knoxville News Sentinel the tobacco “surcharge” slated to begin in January 2010 will be delayed. The controversial measure has been the buzz on campuses across the state as folks discuss the pros and cons, where such surcharges may next crop up, and the methodology for testing who does and does not smoke. Full coverage available here: Knoxville News Sentinel.
Media coverage of UCW-CWA’s rally on January 28, 2009 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Two weeks after this rally took place one of our key demands was met when members of Congress, including many Tennessee House Members, passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA, better known as President Obama’s Economic Stimulus plan). This bill included funding to help offset many of the worst cuts to higher education budgets in our state.
We are Tennessee’s higher education union for staff and faculty, graduate employees, and lecturers. UCW-CWA’s mission is to advance and defend the interests of all higher education staff and faculty, as well as promoting solidarity, democracy, and advancing social and economic justice in our workplace and in our community.
